How to Treat Dog Diarrhea

Rotten or contaminated foods and conditions like dehydration, parasitic infestation and bacterial infection can give your dog diarrhea. Thatís why knowing how to treat dog diarrhea can be very useful to dog owners. In case of mild diarrhea, the following home remedies might be helpful, but if your dog is suffering from severe diarrhea, you should take it to see a veterinarian first. The veterinarian can prescribe the appropriate medication for your dog. Substitute Kaopectate (recommended below) with the medication given by the vet, but follow the rest of the suggested steps:

Be observant about your dogís behavior and inspect its waste as well. It is important that you inform the vet if you see any worms in its feces. There is a specific prescription for diarrhea caused by these parasites.

Do not allow dehydration to affect your dog. This can threaten its life. Mix Pedialyte with cold water and pour the mixture into your dogís water container just like you would with an ordinary drink of water.

Use unflavored Pedialyte so it wonít hamper your dogís appetite with an unfamiliar taste and smell. Supply this fresh mixture to your dog every thirty minutes.

Use a medicine dropper to measure the correct dosage of Kaopectate for your dog and administer it. The standard dosage for a 10-pound dog is 3 milliliters of Kaopectate. Weigh your dog if you do not know its weight yet, and calculate the ratio of the medicine to its weight accordingly. Position the tip of the dropper at one side of the dogís mouth so that it reaches the inside of the mouth. Squeeze the dropper to release the medicine. Repeat this after 12 hours and then again 12 hours later if the diarrhea has not stopped.

Have the Pedialyte mixture handy because the dog will become very thirsty after you administer the medicine. The more that the dog drinks the liquid, the better able it is to keep hydrated. Entice your dog to drink by ensuring that you have a refill available every half hour. Just in case youíre working, do not leave your dog in this kind of situation alone. Ask another family member to supervise it, or send it to the vet for close monitoring.

Observe your dog overnight if the diarrhea ceases or becomes less frequent. If it does not, it may have been caused by bacteria that are resistant to Kaopectate or to the prescribed medicine. The vet may have to culture the bacteria to find out what it is or to determine whether your dog has already developed some kind of a bacterial infection within its organ systems. Another prescription will be issued to tackle the bacteria or the infection.

Bring the dog back to the vet first thing in the morning if its condition does not improve. The dog will be able to retain its energy if you continue to supply it with the Pedialyte mixture while waiting for the veterinarianís clinic to open for the day. Be on the alert when your dog becomes too weak to stand due to its non-stop diarrhea.

These may be basic tips on how to treat dog diarrhea but they can help save your dogís life. When your dog is eliminating stream-like watery waste, donít wait long to send it to the nearest animal hospital for emergency treatment. Recurring diarrhea in dogs can be prevented, especially if you do not expose them to the factors the vet cites as being responsible for the first instance of diarrhea. You have to remember the factors that triggered the diarrhea and guard your dog against them.